- Lots of cities have tried to reduce pollutionby reducing traffic. There are numerous ways that this can be done:
Congestion Charging
- Peopleare charged if they use their vehicles in certain places at certain times.
- This reduces pollution by reducing road traffic.In Central London, congestion charging reduced traffic and emissions in the congestion zone by around 15% in its first year of operation.
- However, some people travel aroundthe edge of zones to avoid being charged, increasing traffic in these areas.
- It’s hard to enforce the charge because the volume of trafficis so large that it’s hard to process all the fines correctly.
Pedestrianisation
- Vehicles are restrictedfrom entering certain places at certain times. It reduces pollution by reducing road traffic.
- Many cities have pedestrianised zones, including London, Cardiff, Manchester and Liverpool.
- Pedestrianisation can lead to shops receiving fewer customersbecause people can only get to them on foot.
Public Transport Improvements
- Encouraging people to use public transportinstead of their cars reduces pollution. For example, many cities have:
- Improved bus servicesto make bus journeys cheaper, faster and more efficient.
- Park and ride schemesto make it easier to access public transport.
- Tramsand light railway services which run on lines, so they don’t get caught in road congestion. They also pollute less than
- Public transport improvements are often expensive including construction of the Metrolink cost over £1 billion.
- New developments can also cause problems such as park and ride schemeswhich can shift traffic problems to rural areas.